'Tick of progress' meets opposition

Mosgiel Business Association chairman Clinton Chambers (left) and Mosgiel-Taieri Community Board member Martin Dillon support plans for the redevelopment of the BP service station in Gordon Rd. PHOTO: SHAWN MCAVINUE

Submissions have closed and a hearing has been scheduled on a bid by BP to redevelop its service station in Mosgiel to include additional facilities such as a car wash and cafe.

Of the submissions made, most were opposed.

But members of the Mosgiel­Taieri Community Board and Mosgiel Business Association are calling the redevelopment a positive signal of economic growth.

Dunedin City Council senior planner Campbell Thomson said one reason the resource consent application for the redevelopment was ‘‘non­complying’’ was because all the site at 72-76 Gordon Rd was zoned residential and the proposed service station was for commercial use.

Existing use rights would not apply because the redevelopment would use more residential land than the station did now, he said.

Submissions on the application closed on October 19, and eight out 10 opposed it, he said.

Only affected parties could make a submission, he said.

The council declined to provide the reasons given for opposition.

However, the submissions would be publicly available before the hearing on December 14, Mr Thomson said.

Board member Martin Dillon said he gave his ‘‘total support’’ to the redevelopment.

‘‘It’s great for Mosgiel and another tick for progress.’’

He was confident any issues people had would be mitigated by due process, he said.

Association chairman Clinton Chambers said he supported the redevelopment because it would create jobs and signalled economic growth in the region.

‘‘If Mosgiel is going to grow, it is going to start encroaching on residential land — it’s a by­product of economic growth.’’

He hoped BP would provide solutions to any concerns the community had.

The tenant in the house at 68 Gordon Rd, next to the site for a proposed new car wash, said her landlord had advised her not to talk to media about the redevelopment.

Veterinary clinic VetEnt Mosgiel, at 78 Gordon Rd, did not return calls from the Taieri Times.

The residents of a house in Irvine St, owners of one of the closest residential properties to the site, who did not wish to be named, said they made a submission raising some concerns.

The biggest concern was the height of the ground level of the site in Gordon Rd, as it was about 50cm higher than the ground level of their property.

The consent application included tall fences — between 2m and 3m high — on the site, near properties in Irvine St. The fences were designed to mitigate issues such as noise.

The residents wanted the ground level at the Gordon Rd site to be lowered so the height of the fences surrounding their property could remain about 1.8m.

If higher fences were installed, they feared it would make their home feel like a ‘‘compound’’.

The resource consent application said Alco Motors, which is on the site, would be discontinued.

But the Taieri Times understands the business could be relocated to another site.

BP Oil spokeswoman Leigh Taylor said if the consent was approved, the proposed BP Connect would employ about 20 staff and be similar to the BP Connect in Cumberland St, in central Dunedin.

As the consent was going through the council process, she could not confirm exact redevelopment plans or comment on the process.

The proposal:

Redevelopment of the BP service station at 72-76 Gordon Rd in Mosgiel

• Demolish the existing buildings at 72 Gordon Rd, including the retail shop, workshop and forecourt.
• Install a new retail shop and canopy, both structures proposed to be at least three times the size of the existing structures.
• Discontinue the Alco Motors workshop.
• Install a car wash building at 70 Gordon Rd.
• Operate 24 hours a day, except the car wash, which is proposed to operate between 7am and 9pm on weekdays and 8am and 9pm on weekends and public holidays.

Taieri Times